My team and I are all looking forward to the upcoming RESTORE conference on 16 October 2025. But before we look to the future I think first it's worth looking back to where it all started and how far we’ve come.
The very first of Crawford’s Contractor Connection RESTORE managed repair conferences was held in 2016 and attracted around 60 attendees. It followed a fairly standard format by looking at industry activities, with a chance to reflect over the previous 12 months and to recognise all the good work that had been done.
With delays caused by COVID-19, the last RESTORE conference we held was in 2023 at the MK Dons stadium in Milton Keynes and, by comparison to the early years, we had well over 300 attendees. The event has grown year on year and is now the biggest managed repair conference in the United Kingdom.
I believe that in October 2025 we will see around 350 attendees so this year, we're basing the conference further north at the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground – a newer bigger, venue which not only gives us more room and flexibility but also allows Crawford to reflect the increase in insurer and broker activity in the north and particularly in the Manchester area.
in the past, the event has been retrospective, looking back at the year before and rewarding past success. But recently, I attended a Crawford Technical Forum – also in Manchester – and I came away galvanised by the amount of specialist technical knowledge on display and how this is equipping us to think beyond just loss adjusting and to look over the horizon at what’s to come in the world of claims management.
So I am determined to use RESTORE 2025 to look at the future of insurance, claims and managed repair. Yes, we still wish to recognise past achievements, but we also want to look at current challenges and the challenges of the future. What do our clients want from us? What do they want us to think about? How can we meet and exceed their expectations?
We need to recognise that the UK construction industry can struggle to keep up in terms of technological advances but new legislation, particularly for ESG, is driving change at speeds for which the network may not yet be prepared.
I believe that the key to becoming fit for the future of managed repair is not in individual effort but through partnerships and the alignment of all stakeholders from contractors to insurers to customers and I intend to do whatever I can to help the industry become as future-ready as it can be.
That’s why I see the upcoming event more as a conversation between Crawford, it's contractors and its insurer clients rather than as a review of the year gone by.
There will be panels, workshops and open discussions to cover such topics as: the impact of AI, data analytics and virtual reality on claims and repairs; mental health and wellbeing in the workplace; enhancing customer service through smarter systems and NPS tracking; driving sustainability through circular economy practices and waste reduction; and the use of data to improve contractor performance, identify and resolve complaints early, and exceed customer expectations throughout the claims journey. There will also be an expo area for claims management partners such as jewellers and interior refurbishers and refinishers.
By bringing all these disciplines, suppliers and stakeholders together under a forward-looking and collaborative agenda, and by embedding sustainability at every level of the supply chain, it’s my ambition to make sure that Crawford Contractor Connection is building for the future of both the industry and the planet. To register for sponsorship or attendance opportunities, please contact ccc.conference@crawco.co.uk.
